Python, VS Code, and Git

Installing python

• Install from python.org or anaconda.com. I use python.org but either will work.
• Differences:
  • anaconda installs IDEs: JupyterLab, Spyder, PyCharm
  • anaconda installs scientific packages: numpy, pandas, statsmodels, scipy, jupyter, …
  • package manager: conda vs. pip
• Either way, add python to your path.

Installing VS Code

• VS Code is an IDE (integrated development environment)
• VS Code is short for Visual Studio Code.
  • Visual Studio is for .NET and C++ developers. We don’t need it.
    
  • Visual Studio Code is a stand-alone and much smaller product.
• There are alternatives, but I like VS Code.

VS Code Extensions

After installing VS Code, google in a browser to find the VS Code Marketplace (or click the Extensions icon on the left panel in VS Code) and install these extensions:

• Python
• ChatGpt4 (by bito)
• Latex Workshop (if desired - I recommend)

Display Theme

File/Preferences/Theme/Color Theme

to change the display theme. Play around and see what you like.

Command Palette

• CTRL-SHFT-P opens the command palette.
• Find “Select Python Interpreter” and make sure that your installation of python has been detected.

File/Open Folder

• File/Open Folder and browse to find a folder in which you want to work.
• Click Pages icon on left if necessary to see a File Explorer.

Terminal/New Terminal

• Terminal/New Terminal to get a terminal (command prompt).
• Command palette and “Terminal: Select Default Profile” if you want a different type of terminal window (e.g., PowerShell instead of Command Prompt).
• As a test, execute

  pip install wrds

File/New File

• Open a text file. Save as test.txt
• Open another text file. Save as test.md
• Open another text file. Save as test.tex
• Open a python file. Save as test.py
• Open a Jupyter notebook. Save as test.ipynb

Text and Markdown Files

• In the .txt file, type some text and save.
• In the .md file, type the following

  # A Header
  Some text


  $$\pi = \Sigma^{-1}\iota$$

• Then try Render PDF, Render HTML, Render DOCX

LaTex

In the .tex file, you can type the following and render. It compiles to a pdf if you have TeX Live or tinytex installed. I recommend uninstalling miktex and installing tinytex. But that is outside the scope of our course.

  \documentclass{article}
  \begin{document}
  Some text
  \begin{equation}
    \pi = \Sigma^{-1}\iota
  \end{equation}
  \end{document}

Python Scripts

• In the .py file, type

  import os
  dir_list = os.listdir()
  print(dir_list)

• Save the .py file (File/Save or CTRL-S).
• In the terminal, execute

  python test.py

Jupyter Notebooks

• Jupyter notebooks consist of cells. They can be executed in any order.
  
• Cells are markdown, code, or raw.
• Cells can be added from the toolbar or by popups below cells. They can be changed from one type to another from the cell menu.
  
• Cells can be executed by point-and-click or by CTRL-SHFT.
  
• Create a markdown cell like the .md file and execute.
• Create a code cell like the .py file and execute.

ChatGPT

• Click the ChatGPT (Bito) icon in the left toolbar.
• Submit the message ‘write python code to list all of the files in a directory’

GIT

• Install the git CLI (command line interface) from https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2/Getting-Started-Installing-Git
• Basic commands:

  git clone <repo url>
  git pull origin main
  git add . 
  git commit -m "<some message>"
  git push origin main

Cloning Repos

• In a browser, visit https://github.com/QuantEcon
• Click on a rep name, then Code, then the copy icon
• In your terminal window, use git to clone the repo (use CTRL-V to past the copied url).
• As another test, visit https://github.com/kerryback. Find the BUSI-520-Notebooks repo and clone it.
• And another: visit https://github.com/wesm/pydata-book and clone the code for the book Python for Data Analysis.

Google Colab

• In a browser, visit https://colab.research.google.com/.
• To use colab, you need to sign in from a google account. Colab is not necessary for this course, so this is optional.
• Once signed in, you should automatically be prompted to open a notebook. If not, use File/Open Notebook.
• Select github and enter wesm/pydata-book. You can open any of the notebooks from the repo in colab and execute them there.
• You can also create and save your own notebooks to your google drive.